The new Spanish duo made a strong debut in the mixed-gender class with a comprehensive win at the recent European Championships in Split, Croatia. Now they are gunning to take gold at the upcoming World Championships in Gdynia (Poland) taking place from June 6-14.
Xammar and Cardona arrived in Split with just 40 days of preparation time under their belts.
Under the command of coach Juan de la Fuente and under the supervision of Xisco Gil, Director of Olympic Preparation for the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation (RFEV), Xammar and Cardona's triumph at the European Championships, according to Gil, "is exceptional because the beginning of the Olympic cycle is not focused on results but rather on seeing the progression of the sailors, although this gold demonstrates the potential of this crew."
Xammar, 31, is from Barcelona and won bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games sailing with Nicolás Rodríguez. Sailing with Nora Brugman, he finished fourth at the Paris 2024 Games – his third Olympics. He has four 470 World Championship medals: bronze in 2018, silver in 2019, another bronze in 2021, and gold in 2024. His recent win in Croatia makes him a two-time European champion – having won last year with Nora Brugman.
Marta Cardona, 20, from Palma de Mallorca, won the 420 World and European Championship titles with Maria Perelló in 2021. In 2022 she won gold at the Youth Sailing World Championship and silver at the 420 World Championships. After some sailing in the 49erFX, her move to the mixed 470 last December was prompted by Nora Brugman's withdrawal from Olympic campaigning.
Xammar himself revealed: "With Nora leaving, I wanted to continue, but I didn't have a crew and I was quite worried. I had a few names in my head, but Xisco Gil suggested Marta, although she was born in 2005 and sounded too young. But after speaking more with Xisco, I made my decision."
Gil acknowledged: "After speaking with Jordi, I called Marta, who was training at the gym, and asked her to come to meet Jordi. I waited outside for her as I knew it was going to be a surprise to her."
The duo debuted at the end of March at the Princess Sofia Trophy in Palma de Mallorca where they finished sixth, before finishing second at their next regatta in Hyères, France in April.
"One of the keys to winning the European Championships," Xammar explained, "was the approach we took during these first few months. I'm 31, and Marta has suddenly made me feel older. Be that as it may, I've formed a new team at all the Olympic events, and I think that gives you experience and shortens the training period for the crew."
"The other important factor is Marta's talent. It's hard to win a European Championship title, even with an established team, and even more so with little more than 40 days’ preparation. Either way, we have a lot of room for improvement," he noted.
"Marta is quite good in strong wind conditions, and she shows it. At the European Championship, we had winds of all kinds and we improved tactically, which indicates that she's also strong in other conditions.
The Mallorcan sailor, who trained at the CN Arenal in Palma, described her partner as: "an ambitious, very competitive person, well-versed in high-level competition, and a true perfectionist. This sets him apart from other competitors. He's also a very approachable person, inspiring confidence, and we get along very well. That has given me a lot of my own confidence and helped me grow faster. I think my desire to learn has helped me absorb everything more quickly."
The 2025 470 World Championship is just around the corner, and although Xammar doesn't like to make premature assessments, he says the Spanish pair were “ready to win it”.
“I say that because, as of today, we have the level to achieve that goal. Even though the Gdynia racecourse is complicated; we're going to fight for that gold. Sailing is a sport influenced by many factors, but we'll go out to win. That's our goal."
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